Apparel.



1%.871 A PATENTED NOV. 19

R. B. MBLANsoN a; G. R. BBARE.

APPAREL.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNI: 2q. 1905.

rn: Namens PETER-s cu.. wAsmNcTcN. v. c

NI'TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RANGHFORD B. MELANSON AND GEORGE R. PEARE, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO MARK A. PIPER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPAREL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1907.

Application filed June 27. 1905. Serial No. 267,239.

To all whom fit may concern.'

Be it known that we, RANCHFORD B. ME- LANsON and GEORGE R. PEARE, of Lynn, in the county oi' Essex and State oi' Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and elective means for connecting an upper garment such as a shirt or shirtwaist With a nether garment such as a dress skirt or pair of trousers in such manner that the upper garment will be prevented from working upward and the nether garment from working downward, the said result being effected without change in the form or construction of the upper garment.

The invention consists in improvements which `we will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification-Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a portion of a dress skirt embodying the invention. Fig. 2 represents a rear elevation showing the construction represented in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the retaining belt which forms a part of my invention. Fig. 4 represents a vertical section through the waist-band and belt and illustrating the operation of applying the belt to the waist-band and to the lower portion of the upper garment. Fig. 5 represents a view similar to F ig. 4 showing the belt drawn to place to secure the meeting portions ol the upper and nether garments. Fig. 6 represents an elevation of the outer side ot' a portionv of the belt showing the outer portion of y the belt constructed to expand and contract.

Fig. 7 represents a section on line 7 7 ol Fig. 6. Fig. `8 represents a view similar to Fig. 7 showing a modification. Fig. 9 represents a section on line 9--9 of Fig. 6. Fig. 10 represents a perspective view showing a portion of the belt employed in the embodiment of our invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 11 represents a transverse section o1" the belt shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 represents an enlarged section 'on line 12-12 or' Fig. 3.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the drawings.

In the drawings-15 represents a nether garment which is here shown as a dress skirt, although it may be considered, so far as the purposes oi' our invention are concerned, as a pair of trousers. The said garment has a waist-band. comprising an inner portion and an outer portion, the two being connected and relatively arranged to form the sides of a continuous pocket which opens downwardly or at the lower edge of the waist-band.

inthe construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the waist-band comprises an inner portion composed of two adjustably connected sections 16-16, one having a series of studs 17 and the other a series of sockets 18 adapted to engage said studs, and an outer portion 19 attached at one end to one of the sections 16-16, its other end being adapted to be detachably connected with the inner section 16 by suitable means such as a socket 20 formed to engage one ol the studs 17. When the sections 16 ol the waist-band are connected and the outer portion 19 is secured by the engagement of its socket 2() with one of its studs 17, a pocket is formed, the inner side of which is composed ol'- the sections 16-16, while the outer side is composed of the strip 19, said pocket being open at the lower edge of the waist-band, so that it is'adapted to receive upwardly projecting retainers on the belt hereinafter described. The pocket formed by the strip 19 and sections 16-16 is incidentally open at the uper edge oi' the waist-band as well as at the ower edge, the upper opening having no function. We prefer, however, to make the waist-band with a pocket which is open only at the lower edge of the waist-band, as is best shown in Fig. 4, in which 22 represents the inner portion of the waist-band and 23 the outer.portion. Said portions are united, as shown at 24, at the upper edge of the waist-band and therefore Aform a pocket which is closed at the upper and open at the lower edge of the waist-band.

1n connection with the pocketed waistband we employ a belt adapted to encircle and cover the waist-band and provided with retaining means projecting upwardly from the lower edge portion oi" the belt and adapted to enter the pocket in the waist-bandto support the latter and prevent it from working downwardly. 1n Figs. 10 and 12 we show said belt in its simplest Vform and as adapted for use in connection with the waistband construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The belt is composed ol a body portion 25 los which may be of leather or any other suitable material, and a series of ears or retainers 26 located at the inner side of the body portieri or' the belt and projecting upwardly from its lower edge. Said retainers should be of such construction that they will form hooks upon which the pocleted waist-band will hang and be firmly supported Without liability of slipping downward. They may be composed of metal, leather or any other suitable material. We prefer to make said retainers of loops of wire, the end portions of which are inserted in pockets formed by bending upwardly the lower edge of the belt body,V as shown in Fig. 10, thesaid bent up edge being stitched or otherwise secured to the body above the outwardly turned ends of the pieces of wire which constitute the retainers 26. The belt is engaged with the pocketed waist-band by inserting the retainers 26 in the pocket of the waistband or between the waist-band sections 16 and 19, as shown in Fig. 12, the belt being then secured together at its ends by a buckle or any other suitable means.

The embodiment of our invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 10 and 11 provides simply for the support of the nether garment without preventing the upward displacement of the upper garment. Provision is made, however, in the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 for the engagement of the belt both with the lower portion of the upper garment and with the waist-band of the nether garment. In the last mentioned embodiment of our invention, the body portion 29 of the belt is increased or doubled in width land bent or folded along its median line to form an inner belt portion 27 connected with the portion 29, the belt being therefore provided with a pocket which is open at the lower edge of the belt and closed at its upper edge. The lower edgeof the outer portion 29 is provided with the retainers 26 adapted to project upwardly in the pocket of the waistband, as shown in Fig. 5.

30 represents the lower portion of the upper garment or shirtwaist. In connecting the upper and lower garments, the lower portion of the .upper garment 30 is folded at 31 and again at 32. These folds'form a wide plait which is caused to bestride the waistband of the nether garment and is arranged so that the inner portion 27 of the belt may be inserted between the said plait and theA body of the upper garment 30, the belt therefore bestriding the plait of the upper gar` ment and the waist-band of the nether garment, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. It will be seen that when the beit is fastened its retainers 26 engage the pocketed waist-band of the i nether garment and at the same time the plait or fold of the upper garment is clamped 'rmly by the outer and inner portions of the belt against the outer and inner portions of the waist-band, hence the upper garment is prevented from working upwardly.

To enable the outer portion 2,9 of the belt to be conveniently raised, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, we prefer to make the said outer portions of a plurality of sections of leather or other suitable material, which Aare movable independently of each other to permit the lengthening or shortening of the portion 29 and are connected at their meeting ends by sections 34 of rubber or other suitable material. The meeting ends of sections 33 are covered by an overlapping section 35.

Referring again to Fig. 1, 36 represents an elastic strap attached at one end to one of the waist-band sections 16 and having at its opposite end a hook or connecting member 37 adapted to engage either of a series of eyes or connecting members 38 in the opposite waistband section 16. The elastic strap 36 is adapted to bear on an inner garment surrounded by 'the waist-band` Ve claim:

1. In combination, an upper garment having its lower edge folded, a nether garment provided with a sectional waist-band and having an elastic.strap connecting its sections, the said waist-band portion being adapted to be placed within the folds of the upper garment, and a belt adapted to retain the lower edge of the upper garment and the waistband of the nether garment in position.

2. In combination, an upper garment the lower edge of which is folded upon itself to 100 form upwardly opening and downwardly opening pockets, a nether garment the waistband of which is provided with a downwardly opening pocket, the said waistband' being adapted to be placed within the down- 105 wardly opening pocket of the upper garment, and a belt comprising an inner portion and an outer portion, the inner portion being adapted to be placed within the upwardly opening pocket of the upper garment, the outer por- 110 tion being on the outside of the said pockets, and being provided with upwardly extending retainers which engage with the pocket of the 'waistband of the nether garment.

In testimony whereof we have afliXed our 115 signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

E. BATCHELDER, ARTHUR I-I. BROWN. 

